1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a bed sheet, and more specifically to a deep pocket sheet that improves the safety of an infant.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional bed sheets, and in particular crib sheets, do not adequately address issues of safety. Many infants die each year from strangulation by their own bed sheets. Infants can grasp the fabric of the sheet and roll, and wrap the fabric around their rib cages or necks. In the midst of the struggle, sheets can wind even tighter. Although many young children have the ability to pull the material around them, many do not have the perception necessary to unwrap themselves. The consequences can become fatal, resulting in strangulation or suffocation.
Bed sheets may also be a contributing factor leading to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS. Although this syndrome is not fully understood, it is shown to be aggravated when babies breathe their own carbon dioxide-rich exhaled air, which can collect under the baby's nose, especially if the baby has become wrapped in an ill-fitted bed sheet. Regardless of the outcomes, many parents have found their own child dangerously entangled in a bed sheet.
Many conventional sheets are made from flammable material. Others have single elastic bindings that do not adequately secure and anchor the fitted sheet to the mattress. Elastic and other conventional materials used to secure a mattress can become deformed and lose their elasticity after washing. A child can pull poorly fitted sheets loose and become entrapped. Elastic can also become partially detached and can present yet another strangulation or choking hazard. Yet other designs provide for an anchoring device at the foot end of a mattress so that the head end can be removed. However, in the case of infants, any point of detachment for the fitted sheet can be potentially dangerous to the child.
Beyond these deficiencies, some conventional sheets, like an open-end pillowcase-type design, are of an impractical construction, requiring complete removal of a mattress from a crib before the sheet can be applied. Additionally, some sheets incorporate zipping devices so that the entire mattress is encased within the sheet. In this case, not only must the mattress be removed, but the sharp portions of the zipper present a hazard to the child.
It would be beneficial to provide a bed sheet, in a unitary form, that overcomes the disadvantages of known sheets, including: (a) construction from flammable or circulation-resistant material that does not allow the flow of breathable air, (b) a loose or improper fit, (c) non-secure binding mechanisms, (d) deformable and non-washable means for securing the sheet to the mattress, (e) difficulty of construction, (f) difficulty in attachment and removal of sheet from mattress without having to remove the mattress from the crib, and (g) sharp or dangerous edges or binding or securing mechanisms. What is needed, therefore, is a deep pocket sheet for covering the crib mattress that allows for safety of the infant, is cost effective, is easy and simple to use and construct, and is resilient and durable. It is to the provision of such a sheet that the present invention is primarily directed.